By Sandra Araiza, Arizona Native, Homeschool Mom and Realtor
A One-Sided Narrative
A recent Arizona Mirror article, “Neighborhood schools are closing across Arizona. It’s because of vouchers,” makes a bold claim: that Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program is responsible for the decline of public schools.
But that narrative leaves out the real story. The truth is that Arizona’s public education crisis wasn’t created by ESA, it was exposed by it.
School closures aren’t being caused by parents choosing better options for their children. They’re the result of financial mismanagement, district-level scandals, and a lack of accountability that’s gone unchecked for years.
1. School Closures
While enrollment has shifted statewide, claiming vouchers are “shutting down” schools is misleading. Districts are facing multiple internal challenges:
Declining student counts due to birthrates and family migration Rising costs for utilities, benefits, and building maintenance Administrative bloat and poor financial planning Leadership turnover and lack of oversight
School closures aren’t new and they certainly didn’t start with ESA.
2. Mismanagement and Waste Are the Real Culprits
If ESA was truly bankrupting districts, Arizona wouldn’t see school boards sitting on millions (and in some cases, billions) while overspending elsewhere.
Consider what’s already come to light:
Flagstaff Unified School District lost $580,000 to scammers after wiring funds to a fraudulent account — a failure of basic internal safeguards (12News).
Dysart Unified School District spent $500,000 on a Las Vegas trip for a conference, while cutting bus service for students who depended on it (AZFamily).
The Goldwater Institute found multiple districts billing taxpayers for luxury retreats and perks, including a $75,000 “splurge” that had nothing to do with classrooms (Goldwater Institute).
Most alarming, the Isaac Elementary School District in Phoenix overspent by nearly $30 million and is accused of falsifying financial records, even though administrators knew they were in a “negative cash balance” as far back as 2021 (ABC15 Investigates).
This isn’t about lack of funding. It’s about lack of accountability.
3. Arizona’s “Underfunded” Myth Doesn’t Add Up
According to the Heritage Foundation, Arizona’s public districts hold more than $20 billion in total assets and surpluses, many sitting on vacant facilities and padded bank accounts while claiming they’re “broke” (Heritage Commentary).
Districts have the money — they’re just not managing it wisely.
4. Vouchers Empower Families, Not Bureaucracies
ESA doesn’t “drain” school funds; it follows the student. Families can choose what works best for their child: public, private, charter, or homeschool.
And here’s a key fact that’s often ignored: Over 80% of ESA students never attended a public school to begin with.
That means ESA isn’t taking money from districts; it’s giving parents the ability to use their tax dollars responsibly, just like districts are supposed to.
Choice doesn’t destroy education, it demands improvement.
5. Real Accountability Starts with Leadership
Districts have demanded more money for decades, yet many still can’t balance budgets or provide clear financial statements. Meanwhile, parents who choose ESA must document every purchase and expense.
If a parent misuses $50 in ESA funds, it’s flagged. But if a district loses $500,000 in taxpayer money? It’s written off as “a clerical error.”
Accountability should apply to everyone, especially those managing millions.
6. The Path Forward: Transparency and Trust
Instead of demonizing ESA, Arizona should be focusing on reform:
Full transparency: Publish detailed district budgets and expenditures for taxpayers to review.
State-level auditing: Create annual, public performance audits for every district.
Fiscal oversight: Penalize fraud and negligence, not choice.
Parental empowerment: Keep ESA strong so families can choose what’s best for their children.
Choice doesn’t weaken education, it strengthens it.
7. Hidden Problems and Double Standards
The scandals that make headlines are only the ones we know about. What about the districts whose finances have never been audited, or those quietly labeled as “failing schools” with no public accountability?
Arizona has nearly 200 public school districts, each managing millions in taxpayer funds. Yet only a handful are routinely audited or fully transparent.
Meanwhile, ESA families are held to a far higher standard. Every expense must be pre-approved, verified, and auditable, and if an audit finds a charge that isn’t covered, the parents are required to pay it back.
In other words, ESA parents face more financial scrutiny than many public districts ever have.
If school districts expect to criticize the ESA program, they should be held to the same level of transparency. Equal standards. Equal accountability. Equal trust.
Transparency shouldn’t be optional, it should be expected.
The Arizona Mirror headline blames vouchers for school closures, but the truth is clear:
It’s not the vouchers. It’s the lack of accountability.
Arizona’s education system isn’t collapsing because families are choosing better options. It’s collapsing because too many districts have chosen poor management, political spin, and waste over stewardship and transparency.
Until that changes, no amount of funding will fix the problem, but truth just might.
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